The Tristain War
by paomayo
Summary: All things must begin somewhere...


_All trademarks, properties and copyrights associated with the manufacturers, models, trade names, entertainment and brands depicted in this fanfic are the property of their respective owners._

 **XXXXXXX**

 _"All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee that the history of the two would become one."_

\- Unknown author

 **XXXXXXX**

 **(West of the Osean Coast - February 17, 1990)**

Within the clear blue skies, two helicopters were about to make a flight above the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The weather was forecasted to be calm with normal concentration of clouds and no rainshowers, perfect for any sort of activity whether for boats or other aircraft.

However, it was no ordinary mission. Minutes ago, a patrol flight consisting of two fighters from the Osean Air Force went missing without a trace, despite the weather and time. Many within the western command were surprised by this, and much of their resources were diverted for the purpose of searching and rescuing the survivors. Even the Coast Guard was involved in the efforts.

The timing could not be worse. Relations between the two greatest superpowers, the Osean Federation and the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, were tense since the start of the Cold War in the 1980s. Military movement within the two rivals were constantly being monitored everyday, and one false move would lead to war.

The two HH-9As made a small bank to the left towards the fighters' last known location and began to split to cover more of the area. With daylight on their side, things were looking to be easy for the rescuers. All eyes were divided into three areas: the water, the radar, and the radio for the slightest signs.

When they reached the location, they saw no apparent debris. Hope quickly began to fade.

"See anything?" One of the pilots requested a visual from his passengers.

"Negative, I don't see anything." A member of the team responded.

"Damn…" The pilot proceeded to contact the other helicopter to ask for their progress. "Beagle 1-2 - this is Beagle 1-1 - requesting sitrep on the search, over."

"This is Beagle 1-2, negative on Reyes and Hiraga." The other pilot reported. "Repeat, negative on Reyes and Hiraga."

"Copy. Proceed to next search point." The order was given, and the helicopters began to move to the next areas of interest. Beagle 1-1 switched radio frequencies again, this time to relay the news to the officers back at the base. "Command - this is Beagle 1-1 - we are at the last known location of the missing aircraft. Negative on Reyes and Hiraga - repeat - negative on Reyes and Hiraga..."

For the next several hours, the military will search hard and tirelessly in an effort to bring the pilots home to their families safe and sound.

 **(Unknown Area)**

To the pilots, it was unexpected.

What was once a routine patrol mission turned south after they suddenly lost all radio contact from their home base and GPS navigation. Their F-16C Fighting Falcon multirole fighter jets were starting to run dangerously low of fuel after hours in the air. If they cannot find land or a nearby airport quickly, they will have no choice but to bail out.

"C'mon, baby, c'mon… Just a little longer…" The second pilot with the aircraft number 461 prayed.

For the next few minutes, it was all open water, but they cannot afford to die under the cold embrace.

Then…

"Land!" His commander reacted in slight relief. "Starling 2, I see land!"

Starling 2 faced towards the faint sight of coastling closing in on them. It was the news he was desperate to hear.

"Oh, thank God!" He sighed.

As standard in emergencies, the captain began to radio any nearby airports for emergency landing clearance. "Mayday, mayday - this is the Osean Air Force, 183rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. We have an emergency; we are at bingo fuel - repeat - we are at bingo fuel. Requesting guidance to the nearest airport. How copy, over?"

No one responded to the radio.

"Anyone, do you read? This is the Osean Air Force, 183rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. We have an emergency; we are at bingo fuel - repeat - we are at bingo fuel. Requesting guidance to the nearest airport. How copy, over?"

Again, no response as they closed in on the shore.

"Cap, you got anything on the radio?"

"Negative, still no radio contact." Starling 1 replied. "Can you try?"

"I'll see." The second pilot switched to a different frequency to try the attempt himself. "Testing, testing… Can anyone hear us? This is the Osean Air Force, 183rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. We have an emergency. We are at bingo fuel - repeat - we are at bingo fuel. Requesting guidance to the nearest airport, over?"

As with his commander, he had no luck.

"Cap, I have no response on my end."

"Tch… Affirmative. Let's head inland and try again."

Several minutes later, they were above solid ground. Their radios again reopened their attempts to contact any available airports.

Then, something caught the captain's sights. In front of the formation, a faint silhouette of what looked like a ship was floating to the left.

"Huh?"

"Is something wrong, sir?" The wingman asked.

"Is it me or am I seeing a boat in the air?"

"A boat… in the air?" Confusion began to trickle in. "You're seeing things, sir."

"Let me see." He broke off to head for the suspected contact.

"Uh, I don't know if this is a good idea." Worried, the second pilot followed suit.

As soon as they closed in on the contact, this shocked the pilots to the core.

"Holy hell…"

Defying all known laws of physics and aviation, the boat was, indeed, flying. What made it more unbelievable was the fact that it was modeled like the ships of old from the 15th century. Protuding out from the hull were oar-like devices flowing with the wind.

"Well, I can't believe it…" The wingman muttered as his flight began to move away. "Guess we're not in Osea anymore…"

As it if was not enough, the radars of each aircraft began to pick up multiple unknown contacts approaching from the south. The pilot took notice when his eyes caught sight of it.

"Hold up… I'm picking up mulitple contacts, heading 190." He confirmed.

"Damn." Starling 1 uttered. "Starling 2, stand by. Whatever they are, be careful."

"Wilco."

The fire control systems were turned on as a precaution. They made their approach in the direction towards the unknown contacts. When they arrived, the next sight shocked them more than the flying boat. A formation of five small dragons carrying their riders awaited them, and when the Osean jets arrived, they broke formation.

"Cap, you're seeing this?!"

"I see 'em… Man, I don't know if this is a damn dream." He expressed his bewilderment. Suddenly, some of the dragons began to target Starling 1. "Whoah!" As his airframe rattled due to turbulence, he quickly dived down to evade the move and returned to level flight shortly afterwards. "That's close!"

Starling 2 experienced the same thing, and he, too, evaded. "Looks like they are pointing at us. Any orders?"

"Let's just get out of here. We might be able to outrun them."

As they moved away, they looked back and saw the dragons attempting to catch up. With their faster speeds, the jets had a clean getaway.

"I think we lost them." Starling 2 said and began sighing. "Man…"

Several minutes in, their worst nightmare came. Starling 1's engine slowly began to die down. All of his fuel tanks were sucked dry.

"Dammit!" The captain uttered. "I've used up all my fuel!"

The same can be said for his wingman a few moments later. All of their cockpits were beeping hard and loud with red lighting to make matters worse. Their aircraft began to descend towards their destruction on the ground consisting of patches of forest and surfaces of varying heights.

"I'm empty!" He followed.

Noticing that they were too close to the ground, the captain began to give the order. "Eject, eject!"

One by one, with the pull of the yellow lever, the pilots were forcefully taken away with their seats away from their aircraft. As they slowly began to descend, they watched their planes glide down harmlessly away from them. Several moments later, loud crashes and immediate explosions reached the ears of the pilots, signalling the unceremonious end of their jets.

The deployment of parachutes followed. Although they escaped with their lives, they were not out of the woods yet.

 **XXXXXXX**

Yearning for some fresh air and better mobility, the second pilot took off his helmet, oxygen mask, and parachute respectively. His jacket was partially opened as well. This revealed a man with a young-looking face, short black hair and blue eyes.

Just after landing, confusion clouded his mind. The things he saw early on made him think they came straight out of a children's story or a fantasy novel.

One question popped out of his mind: where were they?

"Hiraga?" A familiar voice echoed around him. It was the captain. "Hiraga!"

Hiraga turned around to the direction of the voice's travel. "Captain?" He shouted back in reply and proceeded to meet up. "I'm here!"

Moments of running later, he could see his captain alive and well. The tall stature, the familiar brown hair and eyes, the slightly worn-out and aged face - these were the features of his captain.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, sir!" Hiraga caught some breath.

The captain began to plan their next move. "Listen, there might be a village we can take refuge in."

"How did you figure it out?"

"Saw some rooftops sticking out while I was floating down." He pointed in the direction of the supposed village. "Right there. I don't know where the hell are we now, but we are not going to stay here any longer." He began to move.

"Affirmative, sir." A more casual response came from his subordinate.

And so, they were on their way. The cover of the trees would keep them away from the prying eyes above for the time being.

 **XXXXXXX**

A regular intercept mission by one of the Kingdom of Albion's dragon riders became the most unusual. Their encounter with two unknown dragons caught them by surprise. Their unusual roar and speed surpassed that of their own. As a result, their original target, a transport ship, effectively got away to safe territory.

Hoping to salvage what was left of the mission, they chose to look for the creatures and identify their origin.

"There! I see smoke." One of the riders reported. They made their descent to the ground. "What the…?"

However, when they got closer, what they saw were burning remains. A percentage of them were under the hot embrace of ember and ash while parts were scattered near and far. Fortunately, the remains that did survive began intriguing the riders with their white and grey patches.

"I think we should take a look." The leader suggested. His squadron landed and began searching.

Using their staves, they slowly blew out the flames using the power of wind, gradually expanding the search. Almost immediately after, they hauled in some interesting finds, most of which metallic in nature. Some even had writings of unknown origin.

A rider found something after several seconds of turning up scrap - a symbol of two central stars in various sizes and arrangements, painted in half-colors of white and grey within a circle. Usually, this was supposed to be the pentagram, the basic symbol for magic. Its altered nature, coupled with the fact that it was still being displayed despite the grim fate, made him assume that whatever it was, it was special. Naturally, he was getting quite worried by what he saw.

"Captain, look what I found." He relayed the information.

"Stalford, what is it?" The captain rushed in to his subordinate, and he felt intrigued upon seeing the symbol.

 **XXXXXXX**

The pilots were getting tired after alll the walking, but through chatting and periodic stops, they were braving through the challenges. The village was just a few short kilometers away. If trouble comes, they have at least their sidearms and their bare fists to fight back, albeit limited.

"...how often does your father use it?" Hiraga asked about the motorcycle usage of his captain's father.

"Almost a daily driver." The captain replied. "His legs and foot never tired out that much. It was a natural fit to him."

"You tried it?"

"Yeah…" He mirthed. "Same thing. At first, it almost gave me a heart attack."

Hiraga mirthed. "Hey, before I forget, what model should I get? I'm planning to buy a sports bike myself once we get back home."

"Get the AHN300 series. Heard that they are faring quite well in reliability."

"A bit expensive for my taste, sir."

After the talk, the two stopped below the large shade of a tree to rest for a few minutes and allow themselves to lay back.

Suddenly, the ruffling of leaves and branches caught their attention. Quickly, their pistols were drawn, armed, and aimed towards the direction of the source.

"I don't like this…" Hiraga uttered.

"Hold fire." The captain ordered. "Wait for my signal."

"Copy."

All eyes were on the cluster of bushes. They did not know what threat they were facing, so they held their fire until something bad happens. Then, the men saw something. A figure was slowly approaching their position.

"Stay where you are, or we will shoot." The captain warned the potential intruder.

A brigh light began to glow in front of the pilots.

"Huh…?" They were speechless.

Almost immediately after, a "thud!" echoed. The light quickly died down as well. The pilots were confused. Not knowing what to clearly do next, they gave each other a nod and decided to investigate. Slowly and carefully, they thread through the bushes.

Then, they found the culprit, and it shocked the pilots.

"Holy…" The captain uttered.

On the ground laid a beautiful young girl with long, flowing pink hair. Her skin, cloak and whatever clothing she was wearing were tarnished by various wounds, stains, and creases. Whatever she did for the past hours or days, her body took a significant toll, requiring some first aid and rest to bring her back to good health.

It was not just the girl that intrigued the pilots. Right beside her, there was an elegant wand. Hiraga picked it up to inspect the details, and he quickly came to a conclusion.

"That's definitely a magical wand." He guessed.

"So she must be a mage." The captain followed. "Alright, let's get her out of here. Hiraga, I'll cover you."

First aid was first given to her using whatever things the pilot have in store, even using pieces of their suits to isolate the wounds from the elements. The young pilot began to perform a fireman's carry on the girl, starting from her arms and ending with her legs. Safely secured within the pilot's arms, the two men began to make a push with their passenger for the village. The captain armed his pistol again.

"We'll bring you home… I promise." Hiraga offered her words of support.

The girl quietly groaned in response.

Whatever the pilots were at now, things will change.


End file.
